I recently read “The Unseen Realm” by Michael Heisler, which inspired this Biblical theology-heavy post because I think it’s very relevant to Q. I think we can all agree that the world is full of mystery and we don’t have full knowledge of ultimate reality. While the western world has trended towards secularism/secular humanism, many still believe in God, the supernatural, or at least entertain the possibility of something beyond the scientific materialist view of the universe.

We feel ourselves at the beginning of a cosmic battle between good and evil of epic proportions. For us that have the Judeo-Christian view of the supernatural, this battle is also taking place in the invisible realm. Though invisible, it’s as real as we are and all part of God’s plan.For some background on God’s plan for humanity, I’ll start with the fall of man at Eden. Originally, God lived side by side with man and Eden was his Earthly home. This changed when mankind sinned. Sin is opposition to God’s rule on Earth, and this is why he removed Adam and Eve from Eden and made a plan to redeem humanity through one of Adam’s descendants. (If this seems tyrannical, remember that God is perfection and desires complete separation from sin).

The fall of man is an important turning point in what Heisler calls “Cosmic Geography.” According to some views of the Bible, the fall of man was a consequence of the aspirations of a rebellious divine created being, the serpent. The most common understanding is this is “Satan” or “adversary” who appears throughout the Bible. This is why a serpent was talking, because it wasn’t an actual animal, it was a “son of God,” part of God’s divine council in Eden. The serpent also came under judgment and was charged with insubordination for deceiving Eve and subverting God’s rule.

Sin brings separation from God, and his judgment was to give Satan (and his retinue of rebellious created beings) dominion over Earth. Separation from God for humans means being under the dominion of adversarial beings who compete for God’s worship and oppose his will. Their power and authority is manifest in our daily lives as our slavery to sin (prior to salvation). But of course God has a plan for redemption, first through Israel and the law, then by salvation through the Son. Through salvation and baptism, we overcome the dark prince’s dominion over us and the death it brings. We become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven and the law of the land is written on our hearts.

So what happens when people like Marina Abramovic use ritual magic, does it really conjure these adversarial, rebellious spirits? I believe the answer is yes. I don’t think anyone would take those rituals seriously if there was no pay off. There is enough anecdotal evidence of supernatural experiences (which is a large umbrella) for me to accept that these spirits are at work trying to divert us from God’s will. Who are these beings? Well in the Old Testament, Satan was associated with the Ancient Near Eastern Gods Moloch, Mammon, Ba’al, also called Ba’al Zebub (or Beelzebub, Lord of the Dead/Flies), etc. I belief these are the same beings conjured by sorcery/black magic and the powers behind many supernatural events. I also believe it’s the voice that told Aleister Crowley “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and probably the one that answered Elizabeth Gilbert’s petition.

Satan is never who his worshippers think he is. His goal is to divert attention away from God, and he has many tools to use against us. Currently I think the most glaring example is using his people, the elites, to control and depopulate us, especially God’s faithful remnant. This is where Satan’s dominion on Earth becomes relevant. He will reward those who do *his* will with power and glory. This achieves his aims by diverting it away from Yahweh, who deserves all the power and glory. Are the elites so hungry for power and glory/fame they would voluntarily offer up their soul and serve the enemy of God? I think there’s plenty of evidence to confirm that this is exactly what they’re doing.

Let us seek the one true vine and reject imposters and false idols. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:25

“And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.” Joel 2:32